A day after the announcement of Lok Sabha election 2024 results, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with his Council of Ministers, on Wednesday tendered his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu.
Earlier today, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Modi, recommended dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha.
Modi is likely to take oath as PM on June 8. After receiving nod from Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Nitish Kumar’s JD-U, the formation of the BJP-led NDA government and the swearing-in ceremony of the prime minister will take place on June 8, sources said.
Modi will be the first leader after Jawaharlal Nehru to return as PM for a third consecutive term.
According to a news agency, both TDP and JD-U, along with other NDA allies are expected to handover their letters of support to the BJP during the coalition’s meeting.
The BJP won 240 seats as Modi failed to lead the saffron party to a clear majority for the first time in a decade. However, the BJP-led NDA secured 293 seats, 21 more than the required numbers to form the government.
In a 543-member Lok Sabha, a party or coalition needs at least 272 seats to form the government.
The narrower than expected victory means Modi will be dependent on smaller allies, especially Nitish Kumar’s JD-U and Naidu’s TDP. The JD-U has 12 MPs while TDP, 16.
On the other hand, the Opposition Congress-led INDIA bloc has also called a meeting of its coalition partners to discuss their next move.
In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the Congress registered a strong growth, winning 99 seats compared to 52 that it had won in 2019 and 44 seats in 2014. The INDIA bloc won 233 seats.